Dear Seaweed Brain
by ishiptoast
Summary: A series of letters Annabeth writes to Percy while he's missing. Takes place after The Lost Hero.
1. Day 12

Day 12

Dear Seaweed Brain,

Chiron suggested these letters. Supposedly, if I was to write out my feelings, I'd be able to focus better. Except that that seems like a bunch of minotaur manure, because there's no way I could even dream of "focusing" with you gone. It's been 12 days since I found out you were missing. 12 long, miserable days, and the worst part is, we know you're at the Roman Camp. That you're with them and you don't... _remember._ And it's infuriating because I've been SEARCHING for you Seaweed Brain. Every spare second I've been searching for you, and now they expect me to just sit around and wait for this stupid ship to be built, when we _know_ (more or less) where you are! I can't! I can't do it. I miss you, Percy. I don't want to wait 6 more months. I don't even want to wait 6 more hours. I swear, I could punch Hera in her sorry godly face for this, that miserable goddess. I don't care about the prophecy and the war with Gaea's minions. I only care about you, Seaweed Brain.

Just come back to me.

Love,

Annabeth


	2. Day 21

Day 21

Dear Seaweed Brain,

Is it wrong that every time I see Jason and Piper together I feel a little bit...bitter? I know that's not fair. It's not like it's Jason's fault that you were taken. But I can't help but think...if Jason's memory was taken and Piper's relationship with him was a trick of the Mist, what is the Mist going to portray for you? Is there going to be some girl who thinks the two of you have been...no. I can't even allow myself to imagine the possibility. I know I'm overreacting. I guess having you gone has made me a little bit crazy. I feel crazy enough.

Today I went down to bunker 9 to check up on the progress of the ship. Leo's calling it the Argo II. Hopefully that indicates a successful journey, and isn't an omen of, well, not so happy endings. The blueprints are incredible though. I may not be a mechanic, but as Olympus' most recent architect, I can't help but be impressed. What with the rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating...having a warship on our side has got to tip the scales in our favor. If only it wouldn't take so long to build…

Love,

Wise Girl


	3. Day 37

Day 37

Dear Seaweed Brain,

Grover has been working on securing your location with the empathy link, but it's cloudy. It was made years ago, of course, but something else is interfering. We're going to keep trying, Percy. Don't worry. Grover, Tyson, the hunters, we're all out here trying to find you. Your absence has left a big hole at camp. Everybody loves you here, Seaweed Brain. With you gone, the camp just isn't the same. Hades knows how I survived all those years before you came. I'll never forget our adventures together. Remember the time Clarisse blew up the Hydra with her ship? Or when you sent Medusa's head to the Gods as a gift? Or when we danced together on Mount Olympus? I swear you have two left feet! And when you personally blew up Mount Saint Helens…and we kissed...and then you left me thinking you were dead! I still haven't forgiven you for that, you know. You are such a Seaweed Brain. But it's okay. Once you get back, you can make it up to me. We're going to make a lot more unforgettable memories.

Love,

Your Wise Girl


	4. Day 63

Day 63

Dear Seaweed Brain,

Happy Valentine's Day! Oh boy, don't I feel like celebrating. You're gone, missing, with no memories of me, I've gotten no sleep for the past two months, and oh golly, there's a huge war approaching with an ancient evil goddess who wants to destroy the world! Bring on the flowers and chocolate!

We'll just have to have an extra special celebration when you get back. I'm thinking a romantic candlelit dinner, overlooking the sea, with more blue food than either of us knows what to do with. Or heck, I'd take _battling_ that evil ancient goddess if it meant being reunited with you. I guess that's when you know you're in too deep. When fighting for your life becomes a romantic date option. Oh gods, Percy, look what you've done to me.

Well, for what it's worth, I love you Seaweed Brain. I wish I could tell you that in person. Happy Valentine's Day.

Love,

Annabeth


	5. Day 86

Day 86

Dear Seaweed Brain,

Gods Percy, you're so infuriating. It's just like you to make it so hard for me to find you. Do you realize how much of my life I've spent trying to get your attention? All those years, being completely obvious that I like you, and you don't seem to notice. Then, when the fates are finally on my side, and I get you all to myself, BAM. You just have to go missing. Seriously Percy, if I didn't love you so much, I'd never be able to put up with you. I've spent weeks tracking down every friendly nature spirit, halfblood, and monster known to Zeus, for any information about you. Do you know what I've come up with? Nothing. Nothing! You owe me a million drachmas for all the iris messages I've sent. I'm sick of this, Seaweed Brain. I'm sick of the searching, the coming up empty, the constant worry and complete heartache I endure every single day. How much longer do you expect me to cope with you being gone? Because let me tell you, I'm breaking inside. I need you, Percy. I need you here, safe, with me. I need to look into those beautiful sea green eyes of yours, hear that familiar, captivating laugh, see that sarcastic, trouble maker grin that can melt me faster than Apollo's sun chariot. Come back to me, Seaweed Brain, before I murder you for making me endure this endless punishment.

Love,

Your Way Too Tired Wise Girl


	6. Day 94

Day 94

Dear Seaweed Brain,

Do you know who you've left here who's completely heartbroken that you're gone? Besides me, of course? _Your mother._ Do you understand how worried she is? How torn up she and Paul are over your disappearance? Did you even think about them before you went and...left us? Not that it's your fault, Percy. But it is your responsibility to come back to us. Because holy Hephaestus, if you die on me, I swear I will kill you.

Sorry, I'm getting off topic. I wanted to tell you that I've been visiting your mom recently. Actually, for weeks now. I hope you don't mind. I never realized how funny she was. And wow, can she cook! She is such a strong woman. We've been sitting together, crying together, trying to convince ourselves that you're okay. And the whole time she's been so positive that everything will work out. Being with them, with Paul and Sally, it almost feels like a family. A real family that I may have missed out on when I ran away. Of course, it would never be complete without you there, Seaweed Brain. So promise me. Promise me that you'll come back, and we can have that safe, secure feeling together that home offers. That I might actually have hope, out here in this crazy, stupid, monster-filled world. Hope that comes from knowing that as long as I have you by my side, nothing can _really_ hurt me. Oh gods, I'm starting to sound like a child of Aphrodite.

Look at what you're doing to me, Percy!

Love,

Your messed up, lovesick girl,

Annabeth


	7. Day 117

Day 117

Dear Seaweed Brain.

I'm trying, Percy. I promise I am. Trying to stay positive, to wait things out, to have hope that you're out there safe and alive. But, honestly, how can you expect me to have hope at a time like this? I'm _struggling._ You've been gone for months! There's no clear future out there, the gods are at war with themselves, my mom hates me, and for all I know, you could be dead! I've had so many dreams, nightmares where you're ripped from my life, and when I wake, I realize that they aren't dreams at all. They're real. How am I supposed to live in a state where waking brings no relief to the darkness? When I'm constantly engulfed in emptiness? Am I being dramatic? You bet on Hermes staff I am! I think at this point I deserve to be dramatic. Wouldn't you agree?

Sometimes I sit down to write these stupid letters and I think, "What's even the point?" Don't let me think that, Percy. Give me a reason to write these letters. Come home to me, so I can give them to you. For Hades sake, I might actually let you read them! It's day 117 of our separation and I wish on all the stars in the galaxy that there won't be a day 118.

I love you, Seaweed Brain. I hope you'll remember that.

Love,

Wise Girl


	8. Day 139

Day 139

Dear Seaweed Brain,

Why am I writing you these letters? It's starting to seem pointless to me. I put all the thought and emotion I can muster into them, and does it change anything? Nope. No one can get a read on you, no one can tell me if you're even _alive_ and here I am, writing down my _feelings_ like a dumb, naive school girl. I'm a daughter of Athena for Poseidon's sake! Give me a riddle to solve, a test to answer, a monster to fight. Not this. The constant emptiness and fatigue and craziness. Nothing is a worse form of torture than waiting for you to come home. So yeah, here's another letter to you, Seaweed Brain. I don't plan on writing many more, you know. Once this stupid ship is built, we'll know, one way or another what the Fates have in store for us. And by the end of this, I swear I will be the most patient demigod ever. I guess I have you to thank for that, Percy.

Love, the girl who is still waiting,

Annabeth


	9. Day 165

Day 165,

Dear Seaweed Brain,

...

...

...

I'm sorry, I just can't do this...


	10. Day 194

A/N: So I've gotten requests from a few people now that Percy gets to read these letters, and I just want to assure you that yes, I've been planning on doing something like that. So stay tuned! (All rights go to Uncle Rick, just so we're all clear).

Day 194

Dear Seaweed Brain,

This is it. The ship is ready. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning to the Roman Camp. And I can't describe to you how nervous I am. Percy, seeing you in the empathy links, watching your face and yet, knowing how far away you were was painful. Unbelievably. But now I'm headed back to you, and I'm scared. Scared that your memories of me are changed, scared that you're different now, scared that you've adapted to this Roman form of life and that you won't need us anymore, scared that you aren't even down there at all, that you're gone...and I've been wasting all this paper for nothing. Gods Percy this is so infuriating. I seriously don't know whether I'll punch you or kiss you when I see you again. Probably both. Hades knows you deserve it.

But at just the thought of seeing you again, Holy Hera I feel so giddy.

Love, the girl you are never getting away from ever again,

Your Wise Girl


	11. Day 1

**A/N: Okay, I'm really excited for this one. This is Percy getting to read the _Dear Seaweed Brain_ letters from Annabeth.**

 **I imagine this taking place during the Blood of Olympus, after they've gotten back from Tartarus but before the whole quest is over. I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

There was really no rhyme or reason to Percy's pacing. His goal was simple: distraction. He would wind up the halls of the ship, past the cabins, through the hull, over the glass stable doors, and down the stairs. Over and over again. It really didn't matter where he ended up, as long as it was away from _there_. From the dark pit that only continued to engulf him on a nightly basis. Percy thought his dreams were bad enough before, but now, now they were unbearable. On this particular night, after waking to a particularly bad one, he heard an intense scream that iced his blood, and for a second he thought his nightmare was real, that he was really back in that hellish place. But when the second scream formed, Percy knew that this was no illusion, no ghost of his memory coming to haunt him. This sound was real, and he knew exactly what was emitting it. He raced to her door, retracing his steps perfectly, since he made the route several times a night. He threw open her door without a second thought, and there she was, caught in a horrible nightmare that Percy would have given anything to be able to fight.

"Annabeth!" He crossed to her bed, and wrapped her in his arms as she slowly stopped thrashing around. "Annabeth, it's okay, it's just a dream, we aren't in that…place anymore."

She stared at him, the bewildered look in her eyes capturing his gaze. "Percy?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here, we're together. It's okay."

Annabeth took a deep breath and sunk into Percy arms. "Oh Percy, it was terrible. I never want to relive that ever again."

Percy brushed away the tears that trailed her face. "I know, I know. Tartarus haunts me too. Every night. But it's gonna be alright, Annabeth. I promise."

Annabeth frowned as she looked up at him. "Percy, I wasn't dreaming about Tartarus."

"You, you weren't?"

A sigh came from her mouth as she explained. "Seaweed Brain, everytime I close my eyes, I see the night back at Camp Half-Blood, when I walked into your cabin and found your bed empty. I'm haunted by the months of relentless searching, of not knowing when or even if you were coming back to me. That pain, the pain of having you gone, that's the worst pain I've ever endured. That's what I see every night."

"Annabeth…" Percy's heart sunk deep in his chest.

"Percy, I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do, Wise Girl."

Annabeth looked like she was debating something out in her mind. "I..I, um, want to show you something." She climbed out of the bed and headed over to her dresser. Percy had no idea what to expect. His brain was still muffled by his lack of sleep, and this wasn't helping him get a grip on things.

Annabeth pulled out a set of probably a dozen folded papers, which looked like they held handwritten notes. "What are those?" Percy asked, a little nervous about the whole thing, though he didn't know why. But by the way Annabeth was acting so vulnerable, he figured it was probably important.

Annabeth took a huge breath before answering. "They're letters. Letters I wrote while you were gone." She sighed, then handed them to him. "Letters I wrote to you, actually."

Percy was stunned. _Letters? To him?_ He took the pile and started glancing through a few.

 _Day 12: I miss you, Percy. I don't want to wait 6 more months. I don't even want to wait 6 more hours._

 _Day 37 :_ _We're going to keep trying, Seaweed Brain. Don't worry. Grover, Tyson, the hunters, we're all out there trying to find you._

 _Day 86:_ _Gods Percy, you're so infuriating. It's just like you to make it so hard for me to find you._

 _Day 117: I'm trying, Percy. I promise I am. Trying to stay positive, to wait things out, to have hope that you're out there safe and alive. But, honestly, I'm_ struggling _._

 _Day 165: I'm sorry, I just can't do this._

"Annabeth…" Percy started, deeply moved by this show of concern made by his girlfriend. He thought of those long lonely months, when his memory was taken and he was placed at the Roman Camp, how Annabeth was his only connection to his past life. How desperately he hung to every memory he could of her, how she was his anchor, just like with the curse of Achilles. "I don't know what to say."

She gave him a sad smile, and kissed his frown away. "It's alright, Seaweed Brain. Now that we're together, you don't need to say anything." She kissed him again, harder this time, and Percy decided that Annabeth was right. He didn't need to say anything.

* * *

Day 1

Dear Wise Girl,

I love you. I thought you should know that. And just for the record, I am never leaving your side. Ever again. I hope you'll be able to put up with me for that long.

Here's to hoping!

Love,

Seaweed Brain


End file.
